It's really the same as landlording a SFH, you will now have two tenants instead of one. I've done one, two and three doors, haven't found landlording any of them much different than another. We did one time hear complaints from one tenants about another (constantly drunk) of our tenant. We were't sure if the complaints were legitimate. Only after the drunks gave notice did we find out (from another tenant) they were indeed drunks, but they were on their way out.

Thanks, C Martin. Some of my uneasiness is surely 'city' v. suburban. I was pretty stunned by the cluttered condition of some of the tenant-occupied properties shown in listings on the internet. Not dirty; just looked like there wasn't enough space. One thing I thought odd was how many units showed various exercise/weight-lifting equipment. I wondered if tenants didn't spend much time outdoors. Safety?

This property is in an area popular with Chicagoans who work for the city -- teachers, fire, police, etc. -- all required to reside IN the city after a mayoral edict attempting to stem white flight decades ago. Fortunately, I believe it's much more integrated today...hope we wouldn't face a problem with *that*!

I have a good idea what areas of Chicago you’re talking about and three things stand out to me:

1) there are tons of multi family homes on the market now because people are doing what they can to move where they can have a yard

2) the units are full of weight lifting equipment and exercise equipment because the gyms have been closed or had exceptionally limited hours/restrictions for the past year.

3) the units are cluttered because people have been living + working from the same space for a year. They selected a home not intended to need for it to double as a work location, or work + home school location.

I‘m not at all surprised you’re seeing units full of this. I’m more surprised that you’re surprised by what you’re seeing.

Some weight equipment might be due to Covid, everyone ran out and bought at home equipment.

The rentals we managed were in the South Bay of Southern California. Almost all tenants were young professionals, recents grads who move to the beach life for a few of their single years. They were not able to buy so we got them as tenants, they were neat and clean, in all our years we ony had one flaky woman who we evicted, she was gone when the sheriff went to lock her out. Others paid their rent every month, we rented all of them quickly, just nice young people.

We owned apartment buildings inland but those all had onsite managers and a management company managing the onsite manager.

Now that we are "old" we sold all of them and don't bother with tenants, but I still encourage others (younger than me) that it is profitable and easy in the right area.

Thanks to both of you! I'm not sure what demographic will be renting from us. We could leave the first floor duplexed down; that would be 4BR 2Baths...so probably a family. We could separate those, making three 2BR 1Bath units...more likely one or two occupants in each. There's laundry in the lower level, but we might be able to fit a stacked set in each unit. (Or just a hook-up? Would a tenant supply the appliance?) There's a small yard and a 2-car garage. Most of the block is SFHs.

Many of the listings that surprised me housed families...really tight for the space available (pandemic aside), and very old buildings have minimal storage. Some interiors seemed to contain the entire inventory of a Dollar Store.

Lisette -- I think you've given me the answer on why owners are unloading. I hadn't counted the exodous to more affordable outlying areas now logical with working from home. This sways me toward making our property into three 2BR units.

Very helpful. There is *nothing* like 'self-help' from people who've been there, done that.

^ I agree with the above poster. This might not be a good fit for you.

On that note, tenants in Chicago and it’s nearest surrounding suburbs would not expect to be supplying their own washer and dryer. Having laundry hookups available but no appliances won’t be a marketing draw.

Two bedroom apartments are not going to be a huge draw on a street full of SFH.

Thanks. This is why I spoke of my lack of experience, being a suburbanite. Our DS (50) and family do live in the city, and he will be the landlord.

We've had strange tenants in SFH, too. One alcoholic who was to be evicted the next morning turned on all the gas in the kitchen and lay down to die. The sherrif's oficers found her in the morning, hung over, but alive. The gas had leaked out of the old farmhouse. (Same woman had earlier slit her wrists in the bathtub.) I know there are hazards -- just asking about those peculiar to MFUs.

I'd been concerned when we bought the vacation rental, too, but it turned out to be pretty easy, especially with guests we booked ourselves. Our bookings were almost always better guests than agency-booked people. I think that was because we'd become 'real people' to them before they arrived.

Update: Today we cancelled the contract on this property. I was mistaken in thinking we could buy something and use 1031 escrow to renovate. I'd missed the difference from the way we purchased the condo twenty years ago: That seller did the renovations out of our escrow *before* the closing. Now we'll look for something to more fully use up the escrow and not plan on using taxed boot to improve it.

A bullet dodged. All the best to you on your next adventure!